A tsunami is not expected after two small earthquakes struck within two hours of each other off the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. The first M4.6 quake struck at around 1:27 p.m. about 166 kilometres (103 miles) west of Port Alice at a depth of 3km (1.9 miles). Then at 2:44 p.m., a second M5.5 earthquake registering at magnitude 5.3 struck 189 kilometres (117 miles)west of Port Alice at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). Meanwhile, a M6.4 earthquake hit the Philippines just a few hours after the deadly M6.1 earthquake on Easter Monday.

Karen Robertson, manager of the Outpost store in Winter Harbour, says she felt the second earthquake, her very first on the island.

“I was sitting just in a chair, doing some reading and I heard the house kind of creak. Then all of a sudden the chair started shaking sideways and I thought I was imagining it but then the TV screen was also moving.“

Robertson said the quake felt like it lasted approximately four or five seconds.

“A very, very weird sensation,” she said. “You feel sick to your stomach for a very short period of time.“